h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How to prononunce Swedish, and some useful phrases - A1149392
Author: Krasnojarsk - U239408

I hope this will provide a somewhat useful guide for travellers to Sweden.

Let's see - I've just checked the Swedish here, not the form of the actual entry...

I think the pronounciation of smörgåsbord should be described as [smúhrrgohsboord] rather than [smúhrrgohsbúúrd]

Addition to the letter G:
Sometimes also pronounced in the same way as the letter J ('göra'=do) and also as 'sh' in 'wash' ('garage'=garage) and even (but this is pronounced differently in different parts of Sweden) like the 'sj' sound ('geni'=genius)

Addition to diphtongs:
GJ ('gjorde'=did)
HJ ('hjälpa'=help)
SSJ - not so common in modern Swedish, but still...

You've swapped around 5 in the numbers

Huge job you've taken on!

Hello!

I take it you're Swedish, but I'll continue in English anyway.

Actually, the stressing of smörgåsbord should be as I wrote it, [smúhrrgohsboord] is the American pronounciation.

Thank you for poiting out the diphtongs, I've put them in the entry now.

"You've swapped around 5 in the numbers"
I don't really understand this...swapped around?

OK, get it, fixed! Tell me if anything else should be in there.


Krasnojarsk, aka Pelle

Oh - I thought you were referring to the *Swedish* way of pronouncing smörgåsbord!

Yep, I was born and have grown up in Sweden, but both parents Finnish - which gives me quite mixed feelings about who to cheer on in Finnkampen!

Well, I did mean that [smúhrgohsbúúrd] is the correct Swedish pronounciation...stress on two places...

Kiitos ja mukavaa merimatkaa!

I was objecting to the vowels rather than the stress - [smúhrgohsbúúrd] seems to me to be the pronounciation of a word like 'smörgåsbörd' not 'bord' - I should have posted 'óó' instead of 'oo' to make it clear

Thanks, but I'm not about to go to sea - for the moment, at least!

Maybe you're right...but 'o' could be mixed with 'å'...I'll think about it! 'ou' maybe?

I think it's userfriendly! In fact so much so that I'm going to add it as a useful link on the Language Thing!

Hmmm... but describing the 'O' letter in Swedish, you use 'oo' as in 'roof'...?

Yes I know...that's a bit of a problem, but generally when describing 'o' the use English 'oo' as an example. One bad thing happend earlier today, I was just finished with personal pronouns, numerals and verb descriptions when my computer froze...

Will try some other day again.

author has elvised - flea market time?

Assuming we can attract a Swede to finish it off, then yes, take it to the FM.